Last weekend I did something a bit taboo. No, nothing that bad. What I did was this: I took my email inbox, and I cleared it. I archived everything — over 15,000 unread messages. It had just gotten a bit too out of control. Then, this week, I checked ALL my emails, filtered out what I wanted to cover, and pulled some select ones to add to my radio show.
Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: May 25, 2012 
We’ve had seven sunny weekends in a row, which must be some kind of record for the Northwest. As such, it’s been the perfect time to take out the Bimmer. And in related news, Andi’s dad thought it would be a fun project to spend a weekend sanding it down and giving it a new paint job. Score. Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: May 18, 2012
“The Stars Above Looked So Bright And Green” by Swedish band Let’s Say We Did is a play on opposites, a bittersweet tune that effortlessly blends joy and sorrow. Sunny pop melodies back pleasant, melancholy vocals. It’s all a bit comforting, the sway that’s borderline jangle yet contemporary to modern Swedish indie pop, the soft guitars and playful percussion, the harmony vocals that chime in during the chorus. Read More »Let’s Say We Did: The Stars Above Looked So Bright And Green
Oh shit. Punk rock meets 60s surf rock and is then compressed into lo-fi obscurity. That’s what you get with Guantanamo Baywatch. No joke. Their new album, Chest Crawl, pairs more accessible instrumental tracks like “Barbacoa” and “Massage My Taj Mahal” (I nominate for best song title of the year) with those containing vocals. Read More »Guantanamo Baywatch: Surf Rock, Elvis, and Raunchy Punk
Referencing early indie pop artists like Orange Juice, Electricity In Our Homes is precisely what I look for in a pop band: a hint of jangle guitar, some catchy harmony vocals (a male, a female, maybe more) and a melody that gets stuck in your head. “Oranges” has an off-beat sound that is hard to ignore. Read More »Electricity In Our Homes: Oranges
Last weekend was my grandmother’s Celebration of Life. It would have been her 92nd birthday. We all had margaritas (it was also Cinco de Mayo; I had three) and told funny stories about her life. It was a blast, a good closure and celebration to a woman who meant a lot to a lot of people. Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: May 11, 2012
Insanely infectious, “Try Me Out Sometime” is a homage to the heyday of 70s puck rock. Broncho makes the song’s rapid pace seem almost laid back, a hint of unbounded garage-pop. This is, no surprise, emphasized by Ryan Lindsey’s punchy vocals and complemented in full by a backing band that includes Johnathon Ford on bass, Ben King on guitar and Nathan Price on drums. Read More »Broncho: Try Me Out Sometime
What began as an over-the-phone collaboration between Nashville resident (at the time) Stuart Edwards and Andy Holmes of their mutual hometown of Rocky Mount, NC ultimately became Old Bricks. The story is one of some length, and includes a now non-existant band, a little moving around, and the disillusionment of a self-satisfying local scene. Read More »Old Bricks: Anthem
Trails And Ways is a dream pop outfit based in Oakland. “Tereza” is a just-released single off their forthcoming debut LP, called Trilingual; there is meaning behind the name, as Trilingual will feature Spanish, English and Portuguese vocals. With “Tereza”, they stick with English. Read More »Trails And Ways: Tereza
The time has come to ramp up training for the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride). Last weekend, I took a ride out toward La Conner along my normal route, which takes me down McLean. This particular road is on the path toward the famous Skagit Valley Tulips, and being in the middle of the Tulip Festival, traffic was anything but light. Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: April 27, 2012
